Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion Readme File

September 1998
© Microsoft Corporation, 1998. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion!

This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires Expansion. It also includes late-
breaking information not included in the manual or online Help.

CONTENTS
A. Hardware and System Requirements
B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion
C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion
D. Getting Help
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
G. Video Troubleshooting
H. Audio Troubleshooting
I. Performance Troubleshooting
J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
K. Age of Empires Expansion Information
L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!

A. Hardware and System Requirements

• Multimedia PC with Pentium 90 or higher processor (Pentium 120 for Gigantic maps).
• Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack
3 or later.
• Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0 or later.
• 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM for Windows 95 or later, or 24 MB for Windows NT (and for
Windows 95 or later for an 8-player multiplayer game).
• 30 MB of available hard disk space.
• Local bus SVGA, 256-color video display with at least 1 MB of VRAM.
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
• 2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended).
• Windows-compatible sound card with speakers or headphones to hear audio.
• 28.8 Kbps (or faster) modem and Internet access for head-to-head play.

B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion

To install Age of Empires Expansion, you must be using Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later. (For information about how to get
Service Pack 3, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads).

Before you can install Age of Empires Expansion, you must have Age of Empires 1.0, 1.0A, or
1.0B installed. When you install Age of Empires Expansion, your version of Age of Empires is
automatically upgraded to 1.0B.

To install Age of Empires Expansion

1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT
4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
2. Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your
CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the
screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the
icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the AOESetup.exe icon. When the
Setup screen appears, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the
screen.

C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion

You must have the Age of Empires Expansion CD or Age of Empires CD in your CD-ROM drive
to play single player games or use the scenario builder. Both versions of the game work with
either CD. If you start Age of Empires Expansion without a CD in the CD-ROM drive, you must
exit the game, insert the CD, and then restart Age of Empires Expansion.

If you do not have a CD, you can play only multiplayer games. A multiplayer game requires the
following number of CDs: 2-3 players (1 CD); 4-6 players (2 CDs); 7-8 players (3 CDs).

You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of Empires version you
are using. If you are playing Age of Empires Expansion, only Expansion games appear in the
multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and
1.0B games appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that installing Age of Empires Expansion
automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B, so you can only join version
1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.

To start Age of Empires Expansion

Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), insert it into your CD-
ROM drive, and then click Play.
-or-
If the Age of Empires Expansion CD is already in your CD-ROM drive, click the Start button,
point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Age of Empires Expansion, and then
click Age of Empires Expansion.

You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or
ESC.

D. Getting Help
Complete information about Age of Empires Expansion is in the manual. You can also use the
Manual.pdf file in the Docs folder on the CD to view and print the complete manual using Adobe
Acrobat Reader.

To install Adobe Acrobat Reader

Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive,
and then click Install Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Note: Age of Empires Expansion includes the online Help for Age of Empires 1.0, but it has not
been updated with the new features and changes in Age of Empires Expansion.

E. DirectX Troubleshooting
DirectX 5.0 or later must be installed on your computer before you can play Age of Empires
Expansion. If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer and you chose not to install
DirectX when you installed Age of Empires, you will receive the message "A required .dll file,
Dplayx.dll, was not found." To fix this problem, reinstall Age of Empires and install DirectX 5.0.

If Age of Empires installed DirectX but could not update your video drivers to be compatible with
DirectX 5.0, when you restart your computer you will receive the message "Age of Empires could
not initialize DirectX. Make sure that DirectX 5.0 or higher is installed and contact your hardware
manufacturer for a video driver update." To fix this problem, either get updated video drivers
from your video adapter manufacturer or install DirectX in safe mode, which will replace the
video drivers.

To install DirectX in safe mode

1. Copy the DirectX directory from the Age of Empires 1.0 CD to your desktop.
2. Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down.
3. Select Restart, and then click OK.
4. When "Starting Windows 95" appears on the screen, press and hold down the F8 key until
you see a Windows Startup Menu.
5. When you are prompted to enter a choice, select Safe Mode (number 3), and then press
ENTER.
6. After Windows starts in Safe Mode, open the DirectX folder on your desktop, and then
double-click Dxsetup.exe to install DirectX.

If you experience sound or video problems using DirectX, go to

http://www.microsoft.com/directx, click Pavilion, and then click Games to get the latest
troubleshooting information.

You should also check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-
compatible drivers.

F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
• Saving Games -- You cannot name a saved game using certain operating system terms,
such as COM1, LPT1, etc.

• Uninstalling Age of Empires -- If you uninstall Age of Empires (to save disk space, for
example), but you want to save your Age of Empires Expansion campaigns and scenarios,
you must select No when the uninstall program asks "Do you want to remove saved games?
This includes scenario and campaign files."

• Saving Age of Empires Campaigns and Scenarios -- If you save changes to Age of
Empires campaigns and scenarios using Age of Empires Expansion, you can only play the
campaigns and scenarios using Age of Empires Expansion. If you want the changes to
appear using Age of Empires, you must save the changes using Age of Empires.

• Moving Campaigns and Scenarios to a Different Computer -- You can move the files for
your Age of Empires Expansion games to another computer. Expansion files have an "x" in
the file name extension; for example, Rise.scx.

To transfer your campaigns, move the *.cpx files from the Campaign folder where Age of
Empires is installed to the same location on another computer. Then transfer all of the
scenarios in that campaign and the Game0.nfo file as explained below.
 To transfer your scenarios, move the *.scx files from the Scenario folder where Age of
Empires is installed to the same location on another computer.

To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, move Game0.nfo from
the folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on another computer. If you
are moving the Game0.nfo file to a computer that already contains a Game0.nfo file, you
may want to rename the file on the computer to which you are moving files so you do not
overwrite the existing Game0.nfo and lose the campaign information it contains.

G. Video Troubleshooting
• Screen Corruption -- If you experience problems such as a black screen after starting the
game, black areas on the game screen, screen corruption when you press ALT+TAB to
enter/leave the game, or other screen problems while playing the game, contact your video
adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.

• Black Screen Areas -- Some video adapters may cause black areas on the game screen.
To fix this problem, you can add the Mfill parameter to the command line in the Age of
Empires Expansion shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line,
see "Command Line Parameters" under "Performance Troubleshooting" later in this Readme
file.

• Mouse Pointer -- Some video adapters may cause the mouse pointer to disappear if you
change the in-game screen resolution or re-enter the game by pressing ALT+TAB. To fix this
problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.

• Intergraph Intense 3D 1000 Video Adapters -- Intergraph Intense 3D 1000 video adapters
may not allow you to view the game in 1024 x 768 resolution. To fix this problem, check with
your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.

• Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk Video Adapters -- Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk

video adapters may cause your computer to lock up when you change the in-game screen
resolution to 1024 x 768. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for
the latest drivers.

• Sierra Screaming 3D Video Adapters -- Sierra Screaming 3D video adapters may cause
your computer to lock up when you exit the game. To fix this problem, check with your video
adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.

• Rage Pro Turbo 2X Video Adapters -- Rage Pro Turbo 2X video adapters may only allow
you to view the game in 640 x 480 screen resolution.

• DirectX -- If you experience video problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site
for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in
this Readme file.

H. Audio Troubleshooting
• DirectX -- If you experience audio problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site
for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in
this Readme file.

I. Performance Troubleshooting
Command Line Parameters

You can add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion command line to customize startup or
resolve problems with certain hardware configurations.

To add parameters to the command line in the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut

1. If you are using Windows 95, click the Start button, point to Settings, click Taskbar, click
Start Menu Programs, click Advanced, and then double-click Programs.
-or-
If you are using Windows NT, right-click the Start button, select Open All Users, and then
double-click Programs.
2. Double-click Microsoft Games, and then double-click Age of Empires Expansion.
3. Right-click the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut, click Properties, and then click
Shortcut.
4. In the Target text box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text.
For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command
line will read: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires\Empiresx.exe" Nostartup
Noterrainsound. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.

To add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion registry for multiplayer games using
the Internet Gaming Zone

1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.

2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/Age of
Empires Expansion/CommandLine.
4. In the Value data text box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line
text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the
command line will read: "Lobby NoStartup NoTerrainSound." Parameters must be separated
by a space; capitalization is not important. Do not remove the word "lobby" from the
command line.

The command line parameters include:

• NoStartup -- Skips all cinematic sequences before the game starts.

• 640, 800, 1024 -- Sets the screen resolution to 640 × 480, 800 × 600, or 1024 × 768. For
example, 640 sets the screen resolution to 640 × 480, 800 sets the screen resolution to 800 ×
600, and 1024 sets the screen resolution to 1024 × 768. You can also set the screen
resolution using the Game Settings option on the Menu button. If you use a command line
parameter to set the screen resolution, the game always starts at that resolution, even if you
use Game Settings to choose another resolution.

• Mfill -- Fixes horizontal line problems and black screen areas that may occur with some
video adapter configurations.

• NormalMouse -- Replaces the custom mouse pointer with a standard mouse pointer.

• NoSound -- Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics.

• NoTerrainSound -- Turns off all terrain sounds.

• NoMusic -- Turns off all music.

• Msync -- Fixes lock-up problem that may occur with some SoundBlaster AWE
configurations.

• MidiMusic -- Plays midi music instead of Redbook Audio music from the Age of Empires
Expansion CD.

J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting

• Age of Empires Versions -- In a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same
version of Age of Empires. For example, if you are using Age of Empires Expansion, only
Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age
of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that
installing Age of Empires Expansion automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires
to 1.0B, so you can only join version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.

• Multiplayer Chat -- The chat commands !mute and !nomute now affect only your
computer, not all players' computers.

• Serial or Modem Connections -- You may have difficulty joining a multiplayer game or you
may be dropped from a game before it starts when playing over a serial connection or a
modem connection. To fix this problem, all players should install DirectPlay 6.0A.

To install DirectPlay 6.0A

1. Open My Conputer, and then right-click the Age of Empires Expansion CD.
2. Click Install DirectPlay 6.0A.
2. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

K. Age of Empires Expansion Information

• For more information about Age of Empires Expansion, visit our Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/games/aoeexpansion

• If you'd like to play against opponents over the Internet, check out the Internet Gaming Zone
at http://www.zone.com

L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!

This CD includes free software you can use to install the Internet Gaming Zone.

Check out the Internet Gaming Zone, and play games online against friends from around the
world! We feature the best in free multiplayer card and board games, like spades and
backgammon, and matchmaking support for popular retail CD-ROM titles. Build a great army
from a lowly tribe in the award-winning Age of Empires. Race a motorcycle across desert dunes
in Motocross Madness. Or dogfight other WWII pilots in the spectacular Fighter Ace. With
thousands of members online at any time of day, you'll always find a worthy opponent on the
Zone!

To install Zone software

1. On the Age of Empires Expansion CD, double-click AOESetup.exe. When the Setup menu
screen appears, click Previews.
2. Click Internet Gaming Zone, and then click Install Software.

You can also find the Zone software on the CD in Sampler\Demos\Zone\ZoneA501.exe.